Norwich seeks volunteers for fall clean-up of derelict areas

August 25, 2024, 2:30 p.m. • Last updated: August 25, 2024, 6:25 p.m.

Norwich – When Deputy City Commissioner of the Peace Tanice Doman recently stopped by the Platinum Cuts hair salon at 189 Central Avenue and asked for permission to hang a flyer announcing a city peace cleanup effort, she was met with a vocal supporter.

Store owner Harrison Faison said he has seen the impact that trash-strewn streets, overgrown sidewalks and abandoned furniture can have on local businesses. He recalled how an out-of-town customer who had an appointment parked his car, tried to get out and then drove away.

The man’s wife told him the area – not his barber shop – looked unsafe.

“To address the problem, the community must work together,” Faison said.

That’s exactly what Doman and the city’s Department of Public Works staff have in mind. Doman, deputy commissioner of zoning and building inspection, is leading an education and action campaign that begins this week and calls for volunteers to join neighborhood cleanups that begin in September.

She is asking individuals, businesses and civic groups who would like to participate to contact her by August 30 so she can schedule cleanup efforts in several key areas starting in September. Doman can be reached at (860) 823-3756 or preferably by email at [email protected]. Interested participants are asked to provide their name and contact information and indicate when they are available to volunteer.

The focus is on Taftville, Greeneville and the West Side, where trash, overgrown vegetation and bulky waste are removed. The city provides bags, gloves and trash pickers.

“We encourage you to bring extra helping hands, tools and a pickup truck if you have one,” Doman’s flyer said. “Let’s work together to make Norwich a cleaner, more beautiful place.”

For the educational portion of her campaign, Doman has scheduled several informational sessions in the atrium of the Otis Library, 261 Main St., to explain squalor control regulations and property owners’ responsibilities. Doman will be at the library from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 3, 5 and 17; from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14; and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 18.

On September 5, Natelly Chavez of the city’s Office of Community Development will accompany Doman to the library to explain possible property rehabilitation assistance services available to eligible homeowners to upgrade their homes.

“My mission is to clean up and make an impact,” Doman said Friday.

Doman and city building official Daniel Coley said property owners often don’t realize they are responsible for maintaining sidewalks down to the curb.

Coley said he is asking property owners to clear sidewalks to a height of over 7 feet, especially now because school starts this week and students will be walking to school or bus stops.

Residents may also not be aware that they need to order bulk waste collections instead of leaving old furniture, mattresses and other trash at the curb. Norwich residents can request two free bulk waste collections per year.

On a larger scale, the city’s inspection staff is reviewing the city’s three ordinances that deal with property maintenance and neglect, as well as new state laws that recently increased fines for violations. Coley said he would like to consolidate the city’s ordinances into one document and incorporate the new fines.

A short walk from Faison’s hair salon revealed several of the problems Faison had described to Doman. Across the street, a coffee table sat on the sidewalk. Someone had placed an empty can of soda on it. At the corner of Fourth Street, a patch of grass between the sidewalk and the curb was overgrown with chest-high weeds.

On Fourth Street, the small front yard and porch are covered with trees and shrubs, and weeds are growing in the gutter above the porch.

Across the street, an upside-down sofa lay on the sidewalk and a mattress leaned against the side of a house.

“She (Doman) has a lot of work to do,” Faison said. “It’s going to take more than just her to get it done.”

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